It was a moment of unraveling the dynamics of the shifting technological landscape as one speaker after another dissected contemporary forces shaping the integrated marketing communications industry. With emphasis on the need for marketers to move to a new model where technology is at the core of creativity and value creation, the speakers canvassed for a shift from intuition to the predictive point of view for a more informed decision process through creativity.

This was the thrust of the Webinar Series, themed: “The Fusion of Creativity and Technology: “The Role of Technology in Marketing”, organized recently by Market Engine, an innovative technology-driven company known for its outstanding marketing technology solutions.

The topical and trendy webinar aimed at looking into the intricate relationship between creativity and technology, exploring the essential part that technology plays in shaping contemporary marketing strategies with its substantial expertise and cutting-edge solutions.

The speakers were unanimous in their views as they pointed out that the marketing landscape stands at a crossroads due to the inevitable wave of change in consumer behaviour. They stressed the need for professionals to follow suit with the powerful force of change through technology to enhance customer engagement and achieve unparalleled growth.

Tola Bamisaiye Elatuyi, Marketing Director, Pladis Global, noted that, to seize the boundless opportunities and potential that unfold daily in technology, the confluence at which partnership and creativity meet must be activated as algorithm continues to work for the good of the marketers.

“The more you know your consumers, the better you are able to serve them. Technology itself should not be a hindrance with marketing people. Data is always something that either wears us down or advancement in technology is something that we are. When we start leveraging technology, we start becoming more precise, enabled, empowered to make decisions that enable us better harmonise the opportunities provided by technology,” he said.

The marketing business leader reaffirmed that, with the existence of the power and support of technology, algorithm will enable the emergence of enriching ideation process and dynamism among marketers.

“Technology should become the prime-mover in aggregating all our contents for a better buyer-seller relationship management. But the challenge that I also  thought of is, should creativity take precedence or should there be more focus on technological optimization? Because even as marketers struggle, I always come to the conclusion that technology and creativity can go hand in hand. This is because the essence of the confluence is that technology should be a leveler that helps professionals to become better marketers. More importantly, optimize targeting for a well-crafted story-telling that endears the consumer. Basically we all act from the intuition point of view rather than the predictive kind of view,” Elatuyi explained.

Giving his insight on the theme, Emmanuel Agu, Group Marketing Director, Jotna Group, (The Lacasera Company), charged professionals to ensure they provide solutions through an aggregation model of technology to suit local reality. This, he said, will enable them scale through today’s volatile uncertain, complex, and ambiguous economy.

Reaffirming the need to heed the call for transformation, Agu urged marketers to embrace the current strategic shift, noting the potential repercussions of neglecting to adopt and failing to grasp the fast movement of audience dynamics, which he cautioned could result in dwindling relevance. He recalled the years of analogue mode of operations in his career journey as a marketer and advised professionals to adapt to each stage of technological advancement and processes with a future-forward mindset.

Franklin Ozekhome, a Strategic Planner and Brand Communication Specialist, while speaking on predictive marketing around confluence of creativity and technology, urged marketers to follow the culture nuances of consumers in navigating the path to a more innovative future by carving pathways that resonate with the audience’s concerns and needs through value exchange.

Ozekhome maintained that leveraging insights and comprehensive research can help to provide the right contents that align with diverse interests and aspirations of different audience segments through an informed process.

“When you call us creatives, it means how we look at it from the consumer’s perspective in terms trends. What are we doing in understanding trends analytics? The insights thereof can be applicable. How do we immerse ourselves in cultural exchanges? How do we understand different consumer cultures based on the market and brand research while connecting with everyday trend that we see around consumers. Sometimes trends move so fast that by the time you would be developing your products and go to market, you will notice that new trends have already emerged. This forces you to continually iterate your products,” he noted.

According to the seasoned strategist, understanding the evolving preferences and nuances of consumers enable brands to produce contents that resonate with them and at the same time aim at promoting  audience engagement and loyalty. The Pop Culture enthusiast affirmed that, as the marketing landscape becomes increasingly dynamic, adaptable strategies are essential in keeping up to speed in the evolving needs of audiences, and also to remain competitive.

 “Having understood your consumers’ cultures and having immersed them, how do you ensure you connect yourself at the most tangible level to your consumer, you must understand the contextual relevance, how it takes from the commercial perspective, and also how you bring creativity to bear from the data storing perspective as well.”